THE news that Oxfordshire’s NHS hospitals are now fully equipped with state-of-the-art digital scanners will be welcomed by women throughout the county.

It underscores residents’ commitment to supporting their health service as £96,000 of the £270,000 costs came from fundraising. Yet it is overshadowed somewhat by national reports about the NHS breast cancer screening programme, which began in 1988.

Some question the benefits, saying many women will get uneccessary treatment, causing distress.

We do not want a repeat of the last big health scare, over unfounded autism links to the childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Since then, the internet has multiplied the number of sources available, though only a handful provide information to be trusted.

Women should look to respected national cancer director for England, Prof Mike Richards, who leads the review, for a clear steer on screening.

That review must provide concise information so one of the Government’s biggest public health drives can continue.